Net Zero
Three Reasons to Aim for It and One Challenge Holding You Back
Becoming a net zero company is an incredible achievement! Companies that work hard to earn this status should be immensely proud of their efforts. They’ve recognized their position of influence and made a positive, lasting impact on the world.
Three Main Reasons Companies Strive for Net Zero:
It’s the Moral Thing to Do
Customers Love It
Bragging Rights
This might sound straightforward, but let me explain.
1. It’s the Moral Thing to Do
Doing good feels good. Morally, it’s the right thing to do. You’ve done your part to make the world a better place by becoming net zero, and that’s an achievement worth celebrating.
2. Customers Love It
It’s no secret that consumers care about the environment. Whether you're working in B2B or B2C, your customers consider how green your company is—but only if they know about it. Your company should proudly showcase its green credentials. When you tell people, "We have the best customer service" or "Our product is superior to our competitors'," you should also say, "We care about the environment and are an environmentally responsible choice." This gives you an edge over competitors and appeals to a broader demographic.
3. Bragging Rights
I mean this in the best way possible! It’s great to brag about your achievements in your industry. You want your competition to see that you’re better, more responsible, conscious, and ahead of the curve. Imagine at the next awards night, you can rub shoulders with your competition and explain your environmental initiatives. Or, post on social media about how you’re officially a net zero, green company.
The One Challenge Holding You Back: Effort
Where do you even start? Should you buy and plant trees yourself? Who do you speak to? How much will it cost? When should you do it? You likely have a million questions, with the biggest one being: "Is there an easy solution?" Yes, there is.
Automate It! You can automate your company’s journey to becoming carbon neutral. Here’s how.
Start by figuring out how much CO2 your company emits. There are companies that can measure this for you, or if you’re a smaller business, there are plenty of resources, calculators, guides, and examples available. Once you have an estimate of your emissions, you can automate tree planting.
For example, you set a trigger in your system—let’s say, £100 of products sold or a deal completed. I’ll then set up the automation to plant a tree every time that trigger occurs. Your account with the tree company will be linked to your card, and it will automatically replenish when your funds run low.
This might sound expensive, but it’s not. Planting a tree costs just £1, and each tree offsets 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per year. For a small company, you might only need 3-5 trees per month, costing a grand total of £3-5 per month! For this small amount, you get social media content, bragging rights, and peace of mind knowing you’re doing your part for the environment.
The best part? It’s completely set-and-forget. I build the infrastructure, you continue your normal business operations, and with each tree planted, you’re a hero!
I’ve set this up for a large customer in the financial sector who has now planted over 3,000 trees, keeping them ahead of the curve in this kind of thinking.
AI can also play a valuable role here. If you want to notify customers every time a tree is planted, you could send a personalised message explaining what you've done and why. This personal touch can take your public image to the next level when it comes to PR.
